Soft As Rain

She crossed a continent to find a new life—but one terrible memory may keep her from claiming the love waiting right in front of her. Priscilla Spooner has lived among the prospective brides of Sawyerville for more than two years, yet she has never been in a hurry to marry. Pretty, gentle, and quietly capable, she has plenty of admirers—but there is one young man who has finally begun to make her wonder if she might be ready for something more. Aubrey Thompson is hardworking, kindhearted, and far more interested in horses than the rough life of the logging camps. When he asks Priscilla to help him through a difficult night as a treasured mare gives birth, the experience draws them closer than ever. But it also awakens a fear Priscilla has tried desperately to bury. Years earlier, in a New Hampshire mill town, Priscilla witnessed a tragedy that left her terrified of childbirth—and convinced that marriage and motherhood may never be possible for her. Now, just as Aubrey begins dreaming of a future together, Priscilla must decide whether the painful memories of her past will determine the rest of her life. Then one of Sawyerville's most beloved women goes into labor, and Priscilla is called upon to face the very thing she fears most. Surrounded by the women who have become her family—and loved by a man who sees strength in her that she cannot yet see in herself—Priscilla may finally discover that courage doesn't always arrive like thunder. Sometimes, the strongest kind of courage is soft as rain.